It meets the existing concrete floor in the living room at the same level (see pic). I still have most of the original oak floor in the living room, having removed some areas which had failed (despite existing dpm under concrete).
I am at a loss to know what to do now and have been running through the following options in my head. I’m pretty set on tiles in the hallway now to minimise risk but I have many questions on subfloor prep and what to do with the front room. Any advice/input appreciated.
Option 1: Repair existing oak floor in front room, would require some kind of epoxy DPM and would be a bit of a botch. I’d like to lift and relay with proper subfloor prep but I’ve found no effective way of removing the glue so the existing oak would be scrap. Have the new concrete in hall and dining room finished to a higher level to allow new oak floor to glue directly..
Option 2: Rip up oak in front room, have all 3 rooms coated in epoxy DPM and screeded (sandwich DPM or just epoxy then screed? Or even just epoxy?). Buy new engineered wood (more stable) and glue down in both reception rooms and tile in the hall. The downside here is I’m terrified of gluing anything to screed again after the nightmare I’ve had. I know I could float engineered wood but I much prefer the solid feel of gluing.
I have so many questions in general that I’d greatly appreciate 10mins with someone who knows what they’re talking about. Can I have the concrete finished to glue engineered wood straight down? Is an epoxy DPM sandwich something that is done with a self-levelling compound? Can I get away without two whole screeds considering the new concrete is at a good level? Is there anyway of salvaging the front room oak? I’m also in the process of re-doing damp proofing that wasn’t done properly first time round so having the bare concrete now enables me to have the full Sovereign tanking system applied. I can’t afford to do this everywhere though, but I’m particularly anxious about moisture getting to the floor from the sides which is something it mitigates against. Are there other ways of doing this?
Thanks for your time, and patience…